Katharine Spilker

Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild Artist-in-Residence

September 2022, Woodstock NY

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During my month long stay at Byrdcliffe I was extremely immersed in the tangle of its unique landscape—lime green foliage overhead at all times, creating a cave, a cocoon—our intermediary between us in the hills and the sky, tying us all together. Being so far from my normal modes of living and my usual places, I was thinking a lot about security and tethering--what creates the merging of separate material forms held together, and how long can they endure? Each piece surviving with a certain fragility and a sense of balance, despite being tenuous. Much of my work during this time is repeating motif—the knot—an expression of hope coming up against the reality of weight, and a way to explore the fragility and sturdiness of what was around me both in landscape and self.